Tascam US 4x4 and Sonar X3 serious problem

Hello everyone, 
 
Recently I have purchased a Tascam US 4x4 usb audio card.
I am using windows 8.1 pro , 64 bit, 32 GB ram .
Everything seems ok , but when I run Cakewalk Sonar x3e,
two things are happening.
If I run Sonar x3e directly after I enter windows , Sonar runs ok with Tascam drivers.
But if I play an audio file before I enter Sonar x3, and then run Sonar , sonar says the drivers are missing and there is no drivers in the listing from the Sonar's preferences menu.
It's like Windows are keeping the drivers only for windows themselves.
Same thing happening , after I exit sonar x3 after a session. (Sonar runs ok only if I run it directly after I start windows)
NO audio can be heard , no video files could be run , actually any multimedia file can't run for some reason. It stucks at 0 time play. That happens if I also run a video on youtube. The video on youtube won't start. All because probaly an audio driver problem.
Any solutions or advices ? It seems like Tascam drivers are not working fine with windows 8.1 pro 64 bit in comparison with Cakewalk Sonar x3e.
 
Setup:
Windows 8.1 Pro 64 bit
Cakewalk Sonar X3e 64 bit
CPU : Intel Core i7 5930K 3.5 GHz Six Core Socket 2011-3 140W Box
GPU : nVidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB DDR5 PCI-E
RAM : 32GB DDR4 Non ECC CL16 2400MHz Crucial Ballistix Sport
Mother board : Asrock x99 extreme 6
 
EDIT- HiJacked solution  !
I found the solution by using a third party asio drivers. 
Any Tascam USB audio users that would like to use this driver. it's only 18 euros but you can solve all the problems
with your driver and experience much better your whole computer configuration and enjoy your work. 
Here is the link driver : 
http://odeus-audio.com.au/Odeus/AsioLink

Hi Steve, 
 
thank you for your reply. 
Well I tried all things you mentioned with no results. 
 
One thing I tried was to power off and on the device. That gave me one more try to enter Cakewalk Sonar with success and found the drivers ok . 
But when I tried to exit Sonar , play an audio file from windows and return to Sonar , then again no audio drivers. 
Tried to power on and off again the Tascam us 4x4 and this time with no luck. 
 
The device is lost at all , no drivers at all . All multimedia are stuck when clicked to play. Don't play and stuck to 0 time. 
I can't also restart or shut down the computer !!!! Windows holds on restarting or shutting down options.  
It's crazy . 
Nothing of these happens if I don't run Sonar . Computer , windows and audio runs great inside windows 8.1 pro 64. All the disaster happens in comparison with Sonar. 
 
I am sure it's a driver or firmware problem of Tascam Us 4x4 or a strange conflict.
Sadly Tascam seems slow on driver and firmware updates. 
 
 

Etostone
Well I still have my previous computer with an M-AUDIO Delta 1010Lt . 
I never had the same issue with the M-AUDIO card.

 
Drivers behave differently from different manufacturers depending on a variety of factors. I've had interfaces that work the same way as the TASCAM and others that work same way as M-Audio.
 

What's the settings you have in the preferences for the driver inside Sonar ? The options where you select the "share driver with other programmes" etc , which of those you have enabled or disabled for best experience ?

 
Here's what I do:

• Turn off share drivers in Preferences.
• Use ASIO drivers with SONAR.
• Only one program that wants audio runs at one time, and I close it before opening another program that wants audio.

At least for me this takes care of the driver issue, and also what happens if the sample rates between programs differ.

Anderton

Etostone
Well I still have my previous computer with an M-AUDIO Delta 1010Lt . 
I never had the same issue with the M-AUDIO card.

 
Drivers behave differently from different manufacturers depending on a variety of factors. I've had interfaces that work the same way as the TASCAM and others that work same way as M-Audio.
 

What's the settings you have in the preferences for the driver inside Sonar ? The options where you select the "share driver with other programmes" etc , which of those you have enabled or disabled for best experience ?

 
Here's what I do:

• Turn off share drivers in Preferences.
• Use ASIO drivers with SONAR.
• Only one program that wants audio runs at one time, and I close it before opening another program that wants audio.

At least for me this takes care of the driver issue, and also what happens if the sample rates between programs differ.

Thank you Anderton , your info really helps. 
The thing with my issue is that , when the driver conflicts happens , the drivers get lost from the system!  
It's not just to wait for the drivers to get released. That would be ok. The problem is that the drivers get lost 
and device could get back to work after a restart or shutdown only. Both restart and shutdown after a conflict halts the procedure. I need to wait 5 minutes to get the PC shutdown after a conflict of the driver. 
 
When the PC gets back after the restart of the computer , windows starts with no audio drivers. 
I have to turn off , and then turn on again the rack interface for the drivers to start ! 
Drivers need an update for sure. 
 
Also found the same happens with Adobe Premiere CC . When I edit a video , and I play a youtube tutorial or a multimedia file in the browser the same thing happens like in Sonar. Things get crazy , drivers get conflict , need to restart the whole PC , and when I come in again need to turn off and turn on the rack interface for the driver to be seen. 
 
Another thing I would like to ask you.
1) Which OS are you using ? Windows 7 or 8 ? 8.1 pro , 64 bit ? 
2) How's the support of Tascam ? It's been like 24 hours and I haven't recieved any reply from them for that serious driver issue. 
 
 

lludwick
I have  the 4x4 but have not installed it yet. For several years I've used the Tascam US-1641 which has been pretty much flawless as an interface. However, certainly if I turn on the interface it works with Windows applications. When I go into Sonar X3 or Platinum, no problem but if while Sonar is running, I switch to a browser I don't get any sound. Sonar seems to lock the drivers. Not much of a problem for me. I just wait until I exit Sonar. It may take a few seconds for Sonar to release the hold on the drivers, but after leaving Sonar the Tascam works with Windows as normal.
 
However, I expect the new drivers for 4x4 could be at fault if they don't release after Sonar closes. You might look at the task manager to see if any process from Tascam is running before you choose to shut down. Nothing in the drivers should remain as a process running if you power off the Tascam. You could try killing a task identified as initiated by Tascam if you find one running and then try to shut down to see if that helps.

Thanks lludwik , 
 
Whats your operating system ? Same happens here , but when conflict happens , the drivers are getting lost in the system. It's a bug of the driver they need to fix for windows 8.1 pro 64 bit. I need to restart windows everytime that happens and it's very annoying cause restart can't complete , it holds for around 5 mins. Usually takes 2 seconds to restart when all goes fine. 
 
 

Etostone
 
All multimedia are stuck when clicked to play. Don't play and stuck to 0 time. 
I can't also restart or shut down the computer !!!! Windows holds on restarting or shutting down options.  
It's crazy . 
Nothing of these happens if I don't run Sonar . Computer , windows and audio runs great inside windows 8.1 pro 64. All the disaster happens in comparison with Sonar. 
 

 
Yeah, that's very weird. That's definitely more than just the driver not being released. Is Sonar still listed as a running task after you exit? Sorry, wish I had something more for you. Good luck.

lludwick

Etostone

lludwick
I have  the 4x4 but have not installed it yet. For several years I've used the Tascam US-1641 which has been pretty much flawless as an interface. However, certainly if I turn on the interface it works with Windows applications. When I go into Sonar X3 or Platinum, no problem but if while Sonar is running, I switch to a browser I don't get any sound. Sonar seems to lock the drivers. Not much of a problem for me. I just wait until I exit Sonar. It may take a few seconds for Sonar to release the hold on the drivers, but after leaving Sonar the Tascam works with Windows as normal.
 
However, I expect the new drivers for 4x4 could be at fault if they don't release after Sonar closes. You might look at the task manager to see if any process from Tascam is running before you choose to shut down. Nothing in the drivers should remain as a process running if you power off the Tascam. You could try killing a task identified as initiated by Tascam if you find one running and then try to shut down to see if that helps.

Thanks lludwik , 
 
Whats your operating system ? Same happens here , but when conflict happens , the drivers are getting lost in the system. It's a bug of the driver they need to fix for windows 8.1 pro 64 bit. I need to restart windows everytime that happens and it's very annoying cause restart can't complete , it holds for around 5 mins. Usually takes 2 seconds to restart when all goes fine. 
 
 

 
I am running Windows 7 Pro 64 bit. I'd have to check but with the Tascam US-1641 I am almost certain the drivers are not ASIO, however I never have latency problems with them.
 
I will probably install the 4x4 this weekend and I will report back here on my success or lack of success.
 
 

Yes , I think Windows 7 will be more stable for the 4x4. But win 8.1 pro is really amazing performance and I don't want to re install win 7.  Anything beyond Asio doesn't work properly with 4x4. I tried the other sonar option audio drivers as well with no luck . 
Thank you very much for the weekend check out. I appreciate. 

tKx5050
Silly question, but Tascam released a new driver and firmware update for the 4x4 on 12/3/14. Have you checked that you're running these versions?

Well yes, latest drivers is a must. I have to say that Tascam is very late on getting drivers updates. Latest version is on December 2014 , previous on September.  And now we are February. 
And their support seems not good. M-Audio had better support in the past , but I am not sure for now. 
At least their could work with me to find out details for a proper windows 8.1 pro driver.
 
Also my windows are up to date with the updates. 

lludwick
However, I expect the new drivers for 4x4 could be at fault if they don't release after Sonar closes. 

As long as I close SONAR first, I can open windows media player, youtube, etc. and get playback.

Anderton

lludwick
However, I expect the new drivers for 4x4 could be at fault if they don't release after Sonar closes. 

As long as I close SONAR first, I can open windows media player, youtube, etc. and get playback.

Well , well. I have to say it's the first time I have seen something similar happen. 
I did an extremely search on the net , and found those ASIO drivers that works for all soundcards. 
 
http://odeus-audio.com.au/Odeus/AsioLink
 
It's the only Asio driver working SO good . 
And YES , now the soundcard rock the house ! (so far) 
The drivers really transform the soundcard from a waste of money to really pro and usable machine. 
It's extremely annoying to see a great company produce such lame drivers. 
Their drivers might had some use in Windows 7 , but into a new  technology win 8.1 pro , 
those drivers was just junk. 
 
And no I am not taking any money to advertise those new asio drivers. I never used other drivers than the manufacture before. Like with M-audio all went great ! But this time Tascam can't upkeep. 
Also the email I send to the support , just came back today with mail delivery failure!!!. 
here is their email link : 
Array@aws.teac.com
do you know if they are having another ? I would like to inform them of the situation , just to help other users maybe with a proper future driver fix , according to all the information I gathered. 
 
Hope this story help other people as well. I still want to see if Tascam comes with new updates that fix that issue in win 8.1 pro. 
 
 
 

What we see here is the problem with Tascam to uphold with the right drivers.
Their drivers are pretty awful. No good drivers no good product. 
 
Since this driver is solving the problem http://odeus-audio.com.au/Odeus/AsioLink
then Tascam should consider twice which programmers are making their drivers. 
I don't think I will every buy another Tascam product, until they change their programmers
and support behavior. 

lludwick
I am trying to setup the 4x4 ... for the PC windows 7 no problem for windows apps ... However for Sonar Platinum no sound. I can get it to record midi from my keyboard, but no sound coming through the ports.
 
Can someone who has 4x4 working successfully on Windows 7  give me a listening of the setup parms they have for the audio ... btw, when I try to us ASIO, the 4x4 don't show up as available ports only when I use WDM???
 
Help!!!!

Larry I would try those drivers as mentioned. 
 
http://odeus-audio.com.au/Odeus/AsioLink
 
They are free to test and if your solution is there just need to pay 18 euros . IT's a bit tricky to configure but 
believe me those drivers make your soundcard really professional. The routing gives you fantastic possibilities. 

I just don't see how the drivers are "awful." I get low latency with Windows 7 and 64-bit SONAR and reliable operation. I just don't think it's a "serious problem" if I have to quit SONAR before watching something on YouTube, or quit YouTube if I'm about to start running SONAR. To me a serious problem would be low performance or instability when using SONAR. I will say the entire system got dramatically better after removing the bogus HD Audio drivers, as detailed in my Tip of the Week thread.
 
I'm sure TASCAM's drivers are optimized for use with ASIO and pro audio applications, and that's how I use the US-4x4. I won't mention the names of the interfaces I've used through the years that it replaced because I'm a gentleman , but suffice it to say that what I do in my own studio has nothing to do with Gibson if I don't want it to. Of the dozen or so interfaces I have access to, the 4x4 works exceptionally well. For the record, I will say that I've also found the MBox Pro 3rd generation to be excellent, although it's FireWire so I'm trying to phase that out. I also got good results specs-wise from the Mackie Blackjack.
 
lludwick, I'm traveling right now but will be setting up the US-2x2 (which is what I take for my laptop) and it works identically. Once I do I'll list the various parameters and such. But bear in mind that my Windows 7 machine is basically a studio appliance for running SONAR. I turn it on, open SONAR, and don't trade off with other programs. When I'm done for the night, then I'll switch off SONAR and do the YouTube thang or the MP4 video player thing or whatever. 
 
I will say that one area where the Mac has it over Windows is Core Audio. Every version of Windows seems to handle audio differently and it's a travesty that with laptops and onboard audio, you almost always HAVE to use 32-bit MME to get reliable results. Contrast with the Mac, where out of the box you can aggregate Core Audio devices. You can do that with WDM, but in my experience the performance isn't as good as ASIO.

Hmmmmmm not really flat line I see. When I look at the image of the wav, it looks completely flat, but when I play back the recorded track, I hear the sound ... wha??? ...  Then I increase my Width of the audio track so it fills the screen and I can actually see a small wave form appear. Something is out of whack between what I hear which is loud enough (are my outputs turned up too much) or is there some problem with the decibel range I am setting for the track.  The weird thing is if I use a VST such as Blade and bounce it down to an audio track.... then I have a nicely formed wav graphic although it could possibly be much louder than I have ever heard the VST play.  Almost seems as if I have to reduce my playback volume tremendously and then increase the input levels a good deal.  However the key thing is I can now seem to do all my recording functions. I just have to set the input levels on the 4x4 properly.  I seem to have switched on the phantom power and I note that with this box, the phantom power affects all inputs and not just mic inputs. Could be related to the problem.
 
Tomorrow will be a long day of tweaking me thinks.
 
BTW, I have no problem leaving Sonar and using any of the Windows applications through the interface.